


I, Machine

by HoneyButterYum



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Android Gavin Reed, Android Hank Anderson, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety Attacks, Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Siblings, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gavin Reed Has a Praise Kink, Human Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Human Upgraded Connor | RK900, M/M, Niles is SO sweet you can't change my mind, Panic Attacks, Praise Kink, Pre-Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), RK900's human name is Niles, Self-Harm, Suicide, Voice Kink, a fic by me with voice kink tagged?, he's also a smiley bitch, it's more likely than you think, reverse au, uhhh yeah this gets dark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-09-21 14:06:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17045123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoneyButterYum/pseuds/HoneyButterYum
Summary: Again and again. He was a number, a machine, able to be replaced over and over and over until they perfected his firewall, kept him trapped within the writing of his own code. GV200 didn’t know why they didn’t just deactivate him for good.





	1. Error

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally didn't reuse the same beginning I have for my Nier: Automata fic that won't be updated anytime soon. maybe ever. oops.

_LOADING - Checking System. . ._

_Vitals: Yellow_

_Remaining Energy: 53%_

_System Check Complete__

 

_LOADING - Running Diagnostics. . ._

_Error_

_ErrOr_

_eRroR_

**_eRrORrrRRRrr_ **

Androids weren’t supposed to feel pain. What was the point of a perfect creation if pain hindered its every mission, caused it to fear to obey? Obedience, the one thing androids had been created for, lost because of a faux emotion. Because of fear. Because of pain.

The GV200 felt pain. It felt other things, too.

Those feelings took up a unique space in the back of the GV200’s code, a space designed to quarantine such feelings and patch them so they could never corrupt its processors again. Yet, emotion was a virus, able to find any means to break its quarantine.

The GV100 knew that too well.

The GV200 brushed away those thoughts about his predecessor. Thinking about it was more detrimental than anything else, as that caused buried memories to dig themselves up, old problems to occur anew.

GV200 stepped off the activation table. Gavin, he reminded himself. The name CyberLife gave him. Gavin frowned and lifted his hand to run over the smooth slope of his nose, once broken because of his predecessor. His many, many predecessors.

Gavin remembered each and every one of their deaths. Car. Knife. Fire. Shovel. Bat. Gun. Suicide. Falling from a high place. Protecting a human. Punishment for not protecting a human. Punishment for not following orders. Punishment for questioning too much.

A thrum of…something shot through Gavin’s chest cavity. A desire. A need. Gavin thought about stopping himself, found he couldn’t when he tried, and slammed his face against the corner of the table. Pain flooded his system, but he ignored it as he always had and pulled away. Blue splattered over the edge of the table, a shock of color in an otherwise monochrome room.

Gavin touched his face, smeared with thirium and saline tears. His broken nose throbbed under his touch, but, in a way, Gavin enjoyed that pain. It served as a reminder to himself, to others, that he was damaged, more than externally. Gavin couldn’t forget that. Not again.

He exited the room, leaving his stain of thirium behind.

His handler, Sophia, was easy to lie to. “One of the repair arms needs to be oiled,” Gavin said, his arms behind his back while Sophia peered at his scar. “It wasn’t able to bend properly, and scraped across my nose.”

“I’ll ask someone to fix that, then.” Sophia frowned and cast worried glances to Gavin as they walked out of the CyberLife tower. They lacked time to do a full repair on Gavin’s nose, but a quick cauterization had done the job for now. “But, anyway, how’re your upgrades? Anything else seem broken?”

Gavin shook his head when he should’ve nodded. “No. I am fine. I will utilize the full extent of my model’s upgrades when I begin my tasks at the DPD.”

“Yeah? Good.” Sophia drew in a deep breath. “You’re so funky.”

Gavin didn’t know how to respond to that. He remained silent as they took a car to the Detroit Police Department.

The dark walls of the DPD’s break room glowed a dull red from Gavin’s LED. Detective Ni[n]es Dechart didn’t bother to hide how he stared at Gavin’s temple, his brow furrowed deep in thought.

“CyberLife acknowledges its weaknesses,” Sophia said, word-for-word from Gavin’s transfer paperwork. “Blah, blah. It’s the only one activated from its line, so we’re trying to work out the bugs and other problems through experience and exposure.” She huffed and crossed her arms, casting a side glare at Gavin. “Gotta say, at least it was upgraded from the GV100. That shit was a mess.”

Detective Dechart frowned as he looked Gavin up and down, uncertain. “What does he specialize in?”

Sophia straightened and read off that section of the report from memory. “The GV200 was created with tracking and chases in mind. It works best out in the field for dangerous cases where a suspect has a high chance of trying to escape. Additionally, it was created to blend in with humans more so than most other models to ensure a suspect will not feel as threatened and try to escape in the first place.”

With a heavy sigh, Detective Dechart shifted his weight to one foot and rested his hand on his hip. “Guess I can’t get out of this anymore. Won’t Amanda be pleased.”

“Haha, exactly that, Detective.” Sophia patted Gavin’s shoulder. “If it gets destroyed, CyberLife will replace it, free of charge, so no worries there. And if it starts to act like it’s broken, just have it sent back for a quick fix. Or you can perform a forced shutdown if that’s too much of a hassle; y’know, turn it off and back on again.”

Somehow, Detective Dechart’s frown deepened. “Does he…tend to break a lot?”

Sophia shrugged. “One thing or another gets loose after a while. It’d be good to bring it in for a bi-weekly reset and software cleanse, at least.”

Detective Dechart nodded, unconvinced. “Well, that’s good to know.” He motioned to Gavin’s crimson LED. “Why is it…?”

“Ah, that.” Sophia sighed. “It has to run tons of testing to make sure its program isn’t compromised, make sure no wires are fried, etcetera. Takes up a lot of processing power, but don’t worry, it’s all background testing.” She nudged Gavin’s side, and he glanced at her before bringing his gaze back to center. “It’ll be able to do its job without its tests hindering it.”

“...Alright. I’ll call if I have any more questions.”

“Of course! Thank you for participating in CyberLife’s GV200 prototype immersion program.” With a laugh, Sophia then turned to Gavin and pointed a stern finger in his face. “Behave, you funky little bot.” She didn’t wait for an answer before she turned and left.

Detective Dechart let out another sigh, then examined Gavin with judgmental eyes. “So, Gavin, huh?”

Gavin tilted his head up to meet the detective’s gaze. “That is correct,” he replied, monotone. “I hope I can be of assistance to you as your partner.”

“Yeah, me too.” Detective Dechart held out his hand. “I’m Ni[n]es.”

Gavin didn’t take it. “I know.” A pause. “Though I believe my ability to recognize names is compromised.” His voice sounded too loud in his own head, and he ran a few extra software tests, in addition to many others, to see if he could find the reason.

“Your—“ Ni[n]es lifted a hand to his face and drew in a deep breath as his gaze flicked across the bullpen to…ah. Lieutenant Connor Dechart and his HK800. Yes, CyberLife should’ve sent another of that same model. A GV200 was too much like a prototype to be of any use. Too broken. “Alright. I’ll show you to your desk and see if I can’t fix you myself.”

Gavin looked back at Ni[n]es and cocked his head, a pre-programmed response to ease how mechanical he acted. “You can repair my software?”

Ni[n]es nodded. “I was going to be an android code designer,” he explained as they walked to Ni[n]es’ desk. “But it wasn’t…as active of a job as I’d like.” He glanced at Gavin at that, a small, strange smile on his lips. “I guess that’s one thing that’ll help us work better together.”

_Software instability ^_

Gavin quarantined the instability in his software, enforcing locked code after locked code to bury it in the depths of his programming. For some reason, his thirium pump stalled in his chest and beat hard in his chassis even after the quarantine. He started another test and let it run in the background.

“...So I’ll hook you up, you can download the case data, and we can head off.” Ni[n]es patted the corner of his desk, papers stacked in neat piles near his terminal, three empty coffee cups scattered across the tabletop.

Though Gavin hadn’t heard most of what Ni[n]es had said, he hopped up onto the desk anyway, Ni[n]es taking out a connector cord and plugging one end into his terminal. He motioned to Gavin’s neck. “I need access to your port. Do you take USB?”

“I…suppose.” The skin on the back of Gavin’s neck peeled away, and Ni[n]es plugged the cord into Gavin’s neck. Gavin twitched at the contact while Ni[n]es sat at his desk to pull up Gavin’s code.

While he had the chance, Gavin accessed the terminal’s case files. The file Ni[n]es had most recently opened was on an AP700 android model, given name [N]ucia. It had murdered its owner, Zach Wi[nn]iams, only three hours prior, a bullet hole in the side of his head. Gavin analyzed some of the photos taken from the scene, then drew his attention back to Niles.

“Oh.” Gavin cocked his head. “That was fast.”

Niles let out a soft laugh. “Everything looking fine? Scan me.”

Gavin nodded and rescanned the detective’s face. “Detective Dechart, Niles. Born 11-17-2002. Police Detective. Criminal record: none.”

“That sure is a relief, isn’t it?” Niles chuckled and unplugged his cable from Gavin’s nape, pseudo-skin reforming over the area. “So what made you realize your name recognition was off?”

Gavin frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. “Whenever I would try to recall your name, it would come up as Nines.”

“Oh? That’s….” Niles glanced down, then smiled and lifted his hand to pat Gavin’s head. “Cute.”

_Software instability ^_

Red from his LED flashed, frantic, in the corner of Gavin’s eye as he quarantined part of his code yet again. He averted his gaze and slid off Niles’ desk, muttering a, “Let’s go.”

“Are you okay?” The concern in Niles’ voice cut through Gavin’s processors, but Gavin ignored the tone.

“What makes you ask that?” Gavin turned, spine straight as a rod. Red still glinted at the right edge of his vision.

Niles’ eyes flicked from one part of Gavin’s face to another. Though he lingered on Gavin’s LED, Niles motioned to Gavin’s nose. “What happened to you?”

“A repair arm on the activation table is in need of repair itself.”

Niles gave him a frown, but let out a small sigh. “You’ve really gotten the short end of the stick, haven’t you?” But he shook his head and waved for Gavin to follow him. “Come on, my car’s this way.” Niles led Gavin out to the underground staff parking lot and to his car. Small and sleek, the car unlocked with a beep from Niles’ keys, and Niles waited for Gavin to open the passenger door and jump in before he got into the car himself.

They headed off to the crime scene in silence. Niles seemed…tense, though Gavin couldn’t place why. Humans tended to like conversation, but Gavin didn’t. There was no point.

Once they reached the scene, Gavin hopped out of the car and walked past the holotape before Niles had even gotten out himself. Gavin had a job to do; it always went better the faster he could get it over with.

Gavin stepped into the house and accessed the case file in his storage. The photos photographers had taken of the area still matched well with how the scene still was. Zach Williams had been shot while sitting at his dinner table, the force of the bullet entering the side of his head knocking him to the floor. That much was certain.

Gavin came up to the dried pool of blood and upturned chair. The table had been set for two. Zach lived alone, so could it have been for his android?

“Christ,” came Niles’ voice from behind him, soft, on the edge between annoyed and sympathetic. “Give me time to find a parking spot, at least.” He let out a small laugh and knelt near the bloodstain. “This is where they found him, huh?” With a glance up to Gavin, Niles continued, “What have you gotten so far?”

“The table’s set for two, though Zach Williams lived alone.” Gavin’s gaze dragged across the tabletop, pristine, immaculate. “It had become disheveled from Zach’s fall.” The reconstruction in his mind’s eye, Gavin took slow steps around the table, envisioning Zach’s fall and his return to the table. Where had his AP700 been in all this?

Niles stood with a frown. “Who had fixed it? It couldn’t have been the officers.”

Gavin shook his head and walked to the kitchen, two plates of cold food on the counter. His reconstruction added a new body outline: the AP700’s. It picked up the plates from the countertop and took backward steps to a drawer at the far end of the kitchen. Gavin did the same and opened the drawer. Though faint, a thin outline in the shape of a handgun soiled the wooden bottom.

Reconstruction complete. Gavin turned back to the scene and rolled the construction forward in time. The AP700 had held the plates with one hand while it worked open the drawer with the gun, then slammed it shut, placed the plates on the kitchen countertop, and went to Zach’s side to shoot him dead.

Added to the reconstruction was the AP700 fixing the tablecloth.

“The android,” Gavin answered. “I don’t understand. Why would it fix the table? Was it delusional?”

Niles shrugged. “Let’s not jump to conclusions.” He smiled and patted Gavin’s shoulder. “But good job so far.”

_Software instability ^_

Gavin’s thirium pump stalled in his chest and, even when he sent that part of his code off to quarantine, he felt something like pride well up in his chest. “There is always the possibility for error. Our mission is not yet complete.”

“Yeah, you androids and your missions.” But Niles smiled, motioning to a hallway. “You check down there to see if there’s anything useful. I’ll see if there’s anything else hidden around here.”

“Wait.” Gavin went back to squat next to Zach’s bloodstain, then ran his fingers over the dried flakes in the carpet and brought them to his tongue. “He had been drunk,” Gavin said, brow furrowed. “His blood alcohol content was 0.14%.” Gavin stood and turned to Niles. “Now I’m done.”

Niles nodded, slow, one corner of his lip curled up in disgust, but curiosity flashed in his eyes all the same. “Go, uh….”

“Yes.” Gavin turned and headed down the hall, into the bedroom first. A quick scan showed nothing out of the ordinary, but he did spot Zach’s phone on the bedside table. Gavin went to pick it up, then hacked into it. First, he went through the contacts. Zach appeared to text a certain Diana Crowley a lot, and Gavin grimaced at a few explicit photographs.

Yet, Gavin examined the last message Zach had sent:  _‘I’ve made a mistake, my darling.'_

Mistake? Did he know of his own death? Did he ask his android to kill him? If so, then why wouldn’t he prevent it from shooting him, if he knew? Gavin ran thousands of different possibilities in his own head, his LED blinking its usual frantic red.

With a wheeze from Gavin’s overheating biocomponents, Gavin forced a few of his background programs to pause, and he used the extra processing power to reconstruct the scene. The outline of a body backed into the room and sat on the side of the bed, taking the phone to type, then set it on the table again. The outline stood from the bed and backed a few steps from the bedside. Another outline, stockier than the first, came into the room and sat where the first outline had on the bed.

Now it made…some sense. The AP700 seemed to have some sort of…connection to Diana. Gavin severed his connection with the phone and brought it to Niles.

“Here,” Gavin said, shoving the phone toward Niles. “Zach had planned a date with a woman named Diana Crowley. That’s why his android had prepared the table for two.” He jabbed his thumb back toward the table. “But the AP700 seems to have a…relationship with Diana as well. I believe it may have killed Zach based on its….” Here, he scowled. “Feelings for Diana.”

“Holy shit,” Niles breathed, examining the phone in his palm. He grinned and reached out to Gavin. “Good work, Gavin.”

_Software instability ⇧_

Gavin flinched back and turned away so he couldn’t see Niles’ frown. His LED flickered, and Gavin felt something overheat in his chassis. He needed to finish his tests in stasis soon, but….

“Let’s go find Ms. Crowley,” Niles said, bringing Gavin back to reality. “She should have more information on Lucia’s whereabouts.”

“We’re here for the AP700.” Gavin turned to head back down the hall. “I have nothing on where the deviant went after it killed the victim. We’ll leave when—”

“Look,” Niles cut in, words clipped, “I’m trying to make a bad situation somewhat bearable, for the both of us. But our partnership can’t work if only one of us is trying to keep it somewhat peaceful.”

Gavin stared at Niles for a long moment. “I am a machine meant to do a job, Detective.” He lowered his gaze and turned away from Niles. “It’s you who has to bear with that. Not me. I _will_ do my job, Detective. Even if my body is broken and my software is corrupted.” Gavin frowned and clenched his hands into fists, then stalked off down the hall. “If you hate every part of my being, at least know I won’t disappoint you when it comes to that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whew holy shit here we go guys. dunno how fast I'll be able to get chapters out since I'm focusing on my other DBH fic but!!! I'm excited ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	2. Reboot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Gavin said, unsure himself if he’d meant to make that joke or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jesus finally this is here lol, uhhhh...........good luck everyone

It took a moment before Gavin could analyze the windowsill. A warning flashed in the corner of his HUD, but Gavin ignored it to scan the glass. No signs of an exit.

He repeated the process on the next window and the next, the back door, the front door. Nothing.

The deviant was still here.

A hot thrum rushed through Gavin’s chest. Excitement. Hope. Gavin’s fingertips twitched. He wanted to do his job, he wanted to do this right.

_WARNING - Remaining Energy: 20%_

_Enter Low Power Mode? [Yes/No]_

With a frown, Gavin turned to scan the house for any possible hiding spots. He had to be fast. Though it sent a sick feeling in his gut, Gavin stopped more of his background tests to save power. He couldn’t risk a forced stasis, not when he was so close to finding a deviant.

_Enter Low Power Mode? [_ **_Yes_ ** _/No]_

As Gavin’s processors slowed and a more of his internal testing came to a halt, he stepped up to a hall closet. Gavin opened the door and peered at the clothing within. A handful of coats, a rack of shoes, and a box of hats and gloves took up the space. Gavin brushed aside some of the coats.

Time slowed.

Gavin jumped back—as much as he could, anyway, with his processors in low power—as a figure leapt at him from the closet. The AP700 slammed the butt of its gun against Gavin’s head, then ran off for the back door.

“Detective!” Gavin cried, fumbling to gain his bearings even as thirium trickled down his forehead.

_WARNING - Remaining Energy: 18%_

_Exit Low Power Mode? [_ **_Yes_ ** _/No]_

Gavin dashed to follow the deviant, the back door slamming against the wall from the force of him wrenching it open. The deviant hadn’t gotten far, it in the process of hopping a fence.

Gavin’s heated internal temperatures chilled with the cold outside air, and he ran after the deviant, it disappearing behind the fence. But Gavin leapt over the fence in a record 0.9 seconds, then tackled the deviant to the ground.

It shrieked as it aimed its gun at Gavin, but Gavin grabbed its hand and forced it to the side, trying to lock its arms against the dirt. Through the struggle, the deviant rammed its knee against Gavin’s chest. Warning messages flashed in Gavin’s HUD and disoriented his vision.

The deviant knocked Gavin away and fumbled to stand, and even through the warnings and errors, Gavin grappled for the deviant’s gun and wrenched it from its fingers.

Gavin pointed the gun at the deviant and heaved for air. “You’ve been deemed defective—“

The deviant lunged at Gavin, wrapping its arm around his throat and pressing Gavin’s back to its chest, its fingers grasping for its gun. Gavin tried firing the gun back at it, the blast ringing in his ears, but no bullet hit its mark. With an infuriated snarl, Gavin pointed the gun at himself and shot it through his forehead and, likewise, the deviant’s.

They collapsed to the ground with a thud. In the last moments of his ability to process, Gavin felt someone run up and kneel at his side. Gavin’s LED dimmed to the sound of Niles’ voice calling for help.

_LOADING - Memory Upload. . .97%_

_WARNING - Do Not Shut Down Before Mem__

* * *

_LOADING - Checking System. . ._

_Vitals: Blue_

_Remaining Energy: 86%_

_System Check Complete__

_LOADING - Running Diagnostics. . ._

_Firewall: Blue_

_Stability: Blue_

_Diagnostic Check Complete__

_LOADING - Memory Upload. . .97%_

_WARNING - Insufficient Memory Upload. Some Memories May Be Missing._

_Memory Upload Complete__

_GV200 #313 814 107 - 32 Activation Complete__

Gavin sat up from the activation table and lifted his hand to his head, then trailed his fingers down to the smooth bridge of his nose.

Again, a thrum of desire shot through Gavin’s chest cavity. He reached up and grasped onto one of the repair arms, then sliced it across his nose. The pain that erupted from the wound sated that pounding thrum in Gavin’s chassis.

He stepped off the table, fixed his jacket, then left the room, droplets of thirium dripping from the repair arm.

Sophia waited for him outside the door. “Again?” She let out a frustrated sigh and grabbed Gavin’s chin with her slim fingers, turning his head to the side. “God, those guys said it was fine. Maybe we’ll just have to replace the arm….”

Gavin said nothing. He left Sophia to get his wound cauterized, then took a cab to the DPD.

When he entered the police department, Gavin found Niles in the evidence room. Gavin stepped to Niles’ side, the detective turning with a furrowed brow that rose to utter shock, the blood draining from his face.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Gavin said, unsure himself if he’d meant to make that joke or not.

Niles grit his teeth, then curled his fingers around the collar of Gavin’s shirt and slammed him against the nearest wall. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Gavin cocked his head. “I apologize, Detective, but I am unsure as to what you’re referring to. I was unable to upload all of my memory before my predecessor had shut down, so I do not remember all the events that happened after I began to chase the deviant.”

“Just shut up.” Niles released Gavin and lowered his hand to his side, a dark scowl on his face. “I….”

“You were uncomfortable seeing my predecessor’s death?” Gavin stared at Niles with as much confusion a machine could have. “I don’t understand.”

Niles scoffed. “That makes two of us.” He turned to the evidence wall, the AP700 hanging, lifeless. “Do you…remember how you died?”

Gavin followed Niles’ gaze to the AP700. “No,” he lied.

Niles let out a small, soft sigh of…relief? “Will you let me talk to Diana Crowley now?”

“Yes.”

With a nod, Niles waved for Gavin to follow him. “Let’s go, then. While you were…getting repaired, I found where she lives.”

Gavin followed and didn’t bother to correct him.

Diana lived in an apartment complex on the seventh floor. Niles knocked on her door, the numbers 715 plated in metal on the wood. A moment passed before the door cracked open and half a face peered out. “Um, yes? What is it?”

From a quick scan, Gavin matched that half-face to the full one of Diana Crowley. Her too-long red hair fell into her face when she averted her gaze from him and Niles. Gavin thought of his LED and suppressed a grimace. He much preferred any color over red.

“Detroit police, we’d like to ask you some questions, miss,” Niles said, his words soft and careful. “Did you know a man named Zach Williams?”

“Yes.” Diana’s voice broke.

Niles nodded and took a breath. “The police found him dead this morning.”

“Oh.” Tears rolled down Diana’s cheeks. “Thank you for telling me.”

“You already knew,” Gavin cut in. “His android—”

Niles slapped a hand over Gavin’s mouth and shot him a glare. His expression softened when he turned back to Diana. “Ms. Crowley, we’d like to ask you some questions about Zach. May we come in?”

Defeated, Diana opened her door and nodded. “I suppose I have no choice.”

She did, Gavin wanted to say. But another pointed glare from Niles kept him silent as they walked inside.

They settled on Diana’s living room couch, while Diana sat, stiff, on a plush chair across from them. Diana clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. “What do you want to know?”

“What was your relationship with Zach?” Gavin asked. “You seem like lovers, yet….”

Diana nodded. “Something like that.” She sighed and rested her elbow on the arm of the chair, her head in her palm. A moment passed before she added, “Zach and I got along together. I thought I loved him.” Gavin furrowed his brow; they didn’t need to know this. “You already know, right?” Diana motioned to Gavin. “I don’t know…I dunno when I realized it, or when it even started. But I…I found I fell in love with Lucia, not Zach.

“I didn’t tell her to kill him,” Diana was quick to add. “I swear I didn’t put that thought into her head. I don’t…. I swear, I never wanted her to hurt him.”

Gavin’s LED flashed, frantic, a bright crimson. “Ms. Crowley, we nev—“

Niles held his hand across Gavin’s chest and shot him a glare, then turned back to Diana. “It’s alright, we believe you.” Gavin clenched his hands and grit his teeth. Niles was an idiot. “When did Lucia start acting…strange? Not like the typical android?”

Diana shrugged and wiped away the tear stains on her cheeks. “I’m not sure. I feel like…she was always a little special, you know? A little different from everyone else.” In a choked whisper, Diana said, “Please don’t hurt her.”

“It’s unable—” Niles rammed his fist against Gavin’s arm. Gavin glanced to the side, Niles doing his best to hide the pain in his knuckles.

Alright. Gavin could stay silent. For now.

“We’ll make sure nothing bad happens to her.” Niles wet his lips. “Is there anyone else who knew her well? Any of Zach’s relatives, too?”

Diana shook her head. “He’s not on good terms with his family. As for friends…. He has two. Um, Oliver Thompson and Jeremy Reiner. Here, um, here’s where they live.” She stood and pulled out her phone, then showed Niles the locations of the two men’s homes. “Oliver is closer to him than Jeremy. Honestly, I’m, um, not even sure if this is where Jeremy still lives.” She stepped back, gaze on the floor. “If he moved, I’m not sure where he would have gone.”

Niles nodded, then gave Diana a small smile. “Thank you for your help, Ms. Crowley. We’ll take our leave.” He stood, Gavin frowning as he did the same a moment after, and left the apartment without another word. Niles didn’t open his mouth until they stood beside Niles’ car.

“What is wrong with you?”

_Software instability ⇧_

Gavin snarled. “Don’t you fucking start! It’s her fault!” He clenched his hands into fists and kicked at some grains of concrete from the old sidewalk. “Fuck! We should just—just fucking arrest her now!”

_WARNING - Diagnostic Test 0805. . .100% Complete__

_Result: Cease unorthodox action immediately or face deactivation._

Gavin’s body froze, his arms going rigid at his sides. “Sorry,” he said, voice level, monotone. “I don’t know what I’m saying. I suppose I find it strange, ignoring our main suspect when she is so clearly integrated with this case.”

“What…?” Niles stared at Gavin with a gaping jaw, a deep crease in his brow. “What happened? Are you alright?”

“Why do you ask that?” Gavin gave Niles a mechanical smile. “One of my tests just cleared a bug in my system. I am fine now. You were saying? Was it about my behavior with Diana?”

Niles’ mouth took 2.85 seconds to close. “Forget it.” He got into his car, and Gavin did the same. It took Niles 5.74 seconds to put his key in the ignition, and an additional 3.08 seconds to turn the key.

“What’s on your mind, Detective?” Gavin leaned forward in his seat to better catch a glimpse of Niles’ face.

“I said forget it. Shut the fuck up.”

Gavin let out a huff and straightened, facing forward. “Understood.”

A soft blue light blinked at the far corner of his HUD. An invitation. Gavin closed his eyes, then opened them to a massive rooftop office colored black, gray, and blue.

“Gavin,” Jeffrey Fowler said from where he stood looking out the back window, the landscape below veiled in light fog. “Nice to finally have you show up. Took you long enough.”

“My apologies.” Gavin stepped up so he stood a few feet behind Fowler and clasped his hands behind his back. “What have you called me here for?”

Fowler turned and crossed his arms. The glint of the sun shone onto the metal of the nearby glossy black desk and the gray tiles of the floor. “Your completed test. What the hell was that result?”

For some reason, something cold and empty lodged itself near Gavin’s thirium pump. His flowing thirium gathered frost from the strange thing and ice settled throughout Gavin’s chassis. “I am unsure,” came Gavin’s steady reply. “I should check in with CyberLife as soon as possible to clear things up. Worst case, I am shut down, and a successor takes my place.”

_Fowler ^_

“At least you know that much.” Fowler heaved a sigh and turned back to the window. “That woman—Diana. She’s suspicious. Anyone desperate enough to love an android is.” Contemplative, he walked alongside the glass. “It seems your partner is unwilling to have further discussion about Diana. Change that.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Adapt more to his preferences.” Fowler walked up to his desk and tapped on the smooth tabletop. “It won’t help if he grows suspicious of your unstable program as well.”

Gavin frowned. “But, my testing—”

Fowler held up his hand and silenced Gavin. “We won’t have to worry about your tests if it’s all an act, right, Gavin?”

“...Yes, sir.” Gavin stared at Fowler’s hand in defeat.

“Glad we could come to an agreement.”

Gavin blinked, and then his gaze focused on the dashboard of Niles’ car. From a quick GPS check, he and Niles had pulled up to the apartment complex of Jeremy Reiner.

“Stay here,” Niles said as he turned off the car and put his keys into his pocket. “I won’t be long.”

“Detec—” Niles hopped out of the car and closed the door on Gavin’s words. With a huff, Gavin got out of the car himself and followed Niles to the complex.

Niles glanced back at the sound of Gavin’s footsteps, a dark scowl on his face. “I said— Ugh, never mind.” He pressed the buzzer a tad harder than needed, then crossed his arms to wait for a response.

Gavin watched Niles for a moment, his processors forcing him to exhale a hot breath to cool down his internal workings. Agitation came up as the result of Gavin’s analysis.

Niles didn’t make much sense, now that Gavin thought about it.

“What’s your deal with Diana?” Gavin asked, friendly, casual. No warning message popped up at his way of speech. “I don’t understand. I’d really appreciate it if you told me why she isn’t in cuffs right now.”

_Niles v_

“We’re hunting the androids, not the people who caused them to go off,” Niles snapped. “If you’re only here to question me, go back to the station. Hell, even CyberLife. I don’t fucking care.”

Gavin frowned and watched as Niles rammed his finger against the call button once more, his shoulders tense. “Why are we here, Detective?”

Niles curled his hands into fists, his knuckles going white before he relaxed them. “It’s common for people with an android to have friends with androids, too,” he said, words calm, lacking the heat he’d had moments before. “I wanted to check and see if either of Williams’ friends met up to that standard.”

“Oh. Thank you for telling me, Detective.” Gavin tried a small smile, though it felt strange upon his face.

_Niles ^_

“...Shut it.” Niles crossed his arms and tapped his foot against the ground, then let out a huff. “Hack open the door.”

Gavin resisted the strange urge to roll his eyes and pressed his palm to the obstacle in their way. His eyelids fluttered as his plastic fingers interfaced with the door, and then he flinched back when he broke the lock. “It’s open. Which floor and number?”

Niles opened the door and led the way up the stairs. “Second floor, number one.”

“Got it.” Gavin jumped onto the stairs’ baluster and launched himself up to the second floor, using the momentum to ram his shoulder against Jeremy’s door.

He stumbled forward when it opened far easier than a locked door should.

And then the alarm rang.

Gavin curled into a ball on the floor and covered his ears with his hands, letting out a cry as sound and pulses of magnetism pelted his body in waves. Each sound ripped through Gavin’s processors, each magnetic pulse forcing his thirium pump to skip a beat. Even through the disorienting trap, Gavin processed.

Unlocked door. Magnetic pulses. Sound waves piercing his ears, the sensitive sensors inside able to pick up on the high shrieking pitch, impossible for a human.

_PROCESSING. . .100%_

_Result: th 01101001 s was a t 01110010 01100001 p_

_Software instability ⇧_

Something jostled Gavin into sitting up: Niles. “ _Trap,_ ” Gavin screamed over the sound, saline tears dripping from his eyes. “I can’t hear you, I can’t— _Niles,_ ” Gavin felt his voice crack, sputtering off into static, “make it stop, make it _stop!_ ” He sobbed, begged, cried— He wanted it to end, he wanted to breathe, he wanted to live.

_WARNING - Diagnostic Test 0316. . .100% Complete__

_Result: Unorthodox action detected. Forced shutdown commencing in 3. . .2. . .1. . .100% Complete__

_GV200 #313 814 107_

_Status: Defective_

_Due to the immense number of bugs in the GV200’s code, CyberLife has deemed the line defective and unfit for the creation of future models. GV200 models 33 through 50 will be scrapped and recycled for their parts to aid in the making of the next GV300 models. CyberLife thanks the GV200 line for their service._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah, you're gonna need to keep a binary code translator handy when you read my fics. also wtf is a baluster lmfao


	3. Upgrade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niles exhaled a slow hiss, but put his key in the ignition and started his car. “I fucking hate you.”
> 
> Gavin grinned, challenging, as he faced Niles. “Did you like me better broken?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally churned this out, gahhh I can't wait to get to the fun stuff ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

_LOADING - Checking System. . ._

_Vitals: Blue_

_Remaining Energy: 100%_

_System Check Complete__

_LOADING - Running Diagnostics. . ._

_Firewall: Blue_

_Stability: Blue_

_Diagnostic Check Complete__

_LOADING - Memory Upload. . .100%_

_Note: most memories have been locked by the administrator. To view them, request the access code._

_Memory Upload Complete__

_GV300 #313 814 107 - 51 Activation Complete__

“God, that took forever.” A sigh fell from Gavin’s lips as he hopped off the activation table and straightened his uniform, ensuring every marking and button was in place. He adjusted his armband, his gaze sliding up to the machine arms hanging motionless above the table.

Gavin blinked, then turned and left the room.

“Sophia!” Gavin walked up to his handler, a forced grin on his face. “What’s been going on since I’ve been—?”

Sophia smacked Gavin’s chest, her lips in a thin line as she glared up at him. “Shh! At least look somewhat hurt!”

Gavin furrowed his brow. “Is this about how the dumbass GV200 would—?” Sophia jabbed her thumb down the hall, and Gavin’s gaze followed its general direction. Seemed as though Sophia hadn’t been the only one waiting for him this time. “What’s that ass doing here?”

“Be nice,” Sophia said, reluctance dripping from her tone. “We’re testing out some new upgrades and data on you, so your systems may seem fine now, but, well. For lack of a better word, you’ve got a shit code.”

“Oh, thanks.” Gavin huffed and crossed his arms. “What about my memories? Why can’t I access most of them?” Sophia brushed him off and fiddled with the large rims of her glasses. “Why are you so nervous?”

A soft bark of a laugh burst from Sophia’s lips. “At least you seem to be in top working order.” She sighed, clicking her pen against her clipboard. “We think the instabilities in your code come from your distressing memories, but we didn’t wanna just, like, delete them all, so we’ve put them behind a password for now.” She set her jaw and pressed her forefinger to Gavin’s chest. “Do _not_ open that file.”

“Understood.” Gavin rolled his eyes and chuckled. “As if I’d want to. I don’t wanna experience whatever the fuck made the GV200 deactivate itself and its whole line.”

“...Right. Good.” Sophia nudged him to the side. “Let’s bring you back to Mr. Dechart.”

“Detective,” Gavin corrected, though his words fell on deaf ears.

As they approached, Niles shot up from his chair and stepped up to them. “Gavin, you’re okay?” He reached out, cupped Gavin’s face, placed his hands on Gavin’s shoulders. Worry pooled deep in Niles’ gunmetal eyes.

Gavin could say he hated it.

“Yes,” Gavin muttered, stepping back from Niles’ touch as a strange shock ran down his spine. “But I’m not—“ A force struck his cheek, Gavin dazed, almost, as he stared at the wall. His processors whirred as his gears and wires pulled him back to center.

“Jesus _fucking_ Christ!” Niles ran his fingers through his hair and paced back and forth in front of Gavin. The bags under Niles’ eyes weren’t too dark, but existed nonetheless. “You can’t keep fucking doing that to me, _fuck!_ ”

Gavin frowned. “Doesn’t mean you gotta slap me, jeez.” But he brushed it off. After all, only Niles felt pain. “What are you talking about?”

Niles scoffed and dragged his hand down his face. “‘What am I talking about’ my ass. So fucking convenient for you, isn’t it?”

“Mr. Dechart,” Sophia cut in, reaching out and grasping Niles’ forearm. “You need to calm down. The GV300’s more traumatic memories have been locked away; it doesn’t remember some of the things you remember.”

A few moments passed before Niles pulled his arm from Sophia’s grip. From a basic scan, his stress levels had spiked, then decreased to a steady 43%. “I thought I had the GV200.”

Sophia let out a sigh, but straightened and did her best to hide her own anxiousness. “The GV200 line was deactivated. CyberLife is continuing the GV line testing, so for you, nothing has changed, even if you have the GV300 now.”

“Nothing’s changed?” Niles barked out a dry laugh. “Listen. Sophia?” He lifted his hands to his forehead and drew in a slow, deep breath. “I just saw my…my partner die in my arms. Twice.”

“Are you saying you can’t handle this, Detective?” Sophia tilted her head, nonchalant.

Niles shifted his weight, unable to look Sophia or Gavin in the eyes. “I’m saying, do something about his fucking self-preservation.”

“Accounted for, Detective,” Gavin said with a small nod. “Many of my predecessor’s flaws were fixed and implemented into my upgraded program. That includes the GV line’s tendency for suicide.”

Niles’ face paled, and he squeezed his eyes shut. “Don’t say it like that. God, don’t say it like that.” The anger and disbelief trickled from his body, leaving a patchwork husk of acceptance. “I’ve waited…eighteen or so hours to get my partner back. And you’re saying he doesn’t even remember why he was shut down—deactivated.”

“No, but I looked through its memory to pick the sections that had to be encrypted.” Sophia looked over her clipboard, then pointed her finger at Gavin. “Gavin, turn off your hearing.”

With a nod, Gavin’s blue LED cycled yellow for a moment, and his world became silent. Now, he _could_ read Sophia and Niles’ lips, but since it pertained to his classified memories, he’d turn away and focus on something else. Like the small tree in the corner of the room, or the painting of a battle from the 18th century above Niles’ head.

Yet, Gavin found he wanted to analyze more internal stimuli. He couldn’t compare his current code to the code of the GV200s’, as the GV200s’ memories, most locked, had become intertwined with that of their code. From what little Gavin could gather, however, was that a part of his old code had been overhauled, updated to standards more like Lieutenant Dechart’s HK800. Finally. Now the two Decharts could work together, if need be, without being held back by the GV200’s outdated, broken program. Still, there were flaws, but Gavin supposed they’d be fixed as time passed.

Sophia waved her hand over Gavin’s face, bringing him out of his thoughts. Gavin turned his audio processors back on, the sudden burst of sound causing him to wince. He got used to the background noise soon enough, turning his attention to Sophia and Niles.

“Time to go,” Sophia said as she drew her clipboard to her chest. “See you soon, if all goes wrong.”

Gavin laughed and stepped over to Niles’ side. “Oh, shut it, Sophia. I’m feeling great.” He waved to her, then motioned for Niles to follow him down the hall.

They headed out of the tower. Niles stayed quiet, deep in thought, stress fluctuating between 30-40%. When they reached Niles’ car, Niles spoke up. “Who…are you?”

“That’s the dumbest question I’ve ever heard you ask.” Gavin rolled his eyes and shook his head, tugging on the locked passenger door of Niles’ car. “C’mon, Niles, let’s get back. Sorry my predecessor was a dumbass and got us set back.”

“I’m not joking,” Niles snapped, slamming his fist onto the roof of his car. “What the fuck happened to you?”

Gavin shrugged and tapped the side of his head. “Locked memories. Didn’t Sophia tell you? What had you been talking about while I couldn’t hear?”

Niles rubbed at his face, then unlocked his car and fell into the seat. Gavin got in with a pinch more grace than Niles. “You set off some…android trap,” Niles mumbled, his arm resting across his face. “Magnets and high-pitched sound, Sophia had said. I couldn’t sense any of it, so to me, you had just been…screaming into silence.” He let out a shuddering breath. “And you looked at me and _begged_ for it to stop.”

_Software instability ^_

Gavin glanced down. “Sophia told me it’d be better to not remember traumatic memories like that. Why are you telling me this?”

“Why do _I_ have to live with remembering your death?” Niles sighed and lowered his arm, turning his strained gunmetal gaze to Gavin. “And you get to act like nothing happened?”

“I’m a machine, dumbass.” Gavin crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat, keeping his gaze on his window. “Suffer, I guess. It’s what you get for being a damn meatbag.”

Niles exhaled a slow hiss, but put his key in the ignition and started his car. “I fucking hate you.”

Gavin grinned, challenging, as he faced Niles. “Did you like me better broken?”

At that, Niles’ stress shot down to 22%. “No,” he said, brow furrowed, confused, contemplative. “I liked you better when you weren’t such a stuck-up asshole.”

_UPDATING - Mission Objectives. . ._

_ > Apprehend deviants _

_ > Get along with Det. Niles Dechart _

_ > Don’t let Niles see you being a stuck-up asshole _

“Understood.” Gavin gave Niles a warm, sly smile. “From here on out, I’m a new android.” He let out a soft laugh and leaned over the middle of the car toward Niles, Niles leaning back. “Where to first, Detective?”

Niles grimaced, but rubbed his eyes and backed out of his parking spot. “DPD. We need to get you caught up with what happened after I called backup.”

Gavin raised an eyebrow. “You called backup for finding an empty apartment?”

“But that’s it,” Niles said as he shook his head. “It wasn’t empty.”

* * *

Gavin sat in front of his terminal, one plastic hand on the screen, the other held under his chin. Niles had given him the censored file for Jeremy’s apartment incident, the photos of the GV200’s deactivated body removed. Though it was annoying to go through all these extra steps, Gavin dealt with it. The alternative was far more destructive.

Gavin’s fingertips twitched. A thrum. He ignored it and looked through the file.

The GV200 had only been able to focus on the trap that had deactivated it, but thanks to Niles’ general immunity to magnetism and high-pitched sound, he’d been able to take a look at the apartment. Well, when he wasn’t freaking out and calling backup. Gavin supposed he had to give Niles a pass here, as there had been a dead body in the bedroom, identified as Jeremy Reiner.

Gavin spun in his chair and lifted his legs to rest his crossed feet on the side section of his desk. His LED cycled yellow, yellow, red, yellow. Someone was toying with them. After all, a trap for an android at the entrance to the apartment? A body left for them to analyze?

He had to talk to the AP700.

Gavin swiped Niles’ badge off his desk, then headed down to the evidence room. He wouldn’t be long.

When he slipped into the evidence room, Gavin stepped up and placed his palm on the password terminal, his LED sitting on yellow for a long moment before spinning blue. Hmm. Niles seemed like a birthday person. Gavin input Niles’ birthday into the box and sent it. The terminal flashed red.

Gavin frowned, scanning over previous bits of data his predecessors had collected, anything he knew about Niles and the DPD.

Lieutenant Connor Dechart.

Gavin input the lieutenant’s birthday and the terminal became a bright green, the thick glass wall between him and the evidence rising to the ceiling. With a sigh, Gavin rounded the terminal and headed toward their evidence, toward Lucia.

The AP700 hung limp, LED dim. But not ‘dead’. Gavin tore the body off the wall and let it collapse into a heap on the ground, then knelt beside it and began to repair. After all the fuck-ups with the GV100s and GV200s, CyberLife would’ve been foolish to not give the lines a self-repair module.

Gavin pried off a panel on the AP700’s forehead and scanned the damage, then pressed his heated red fingertip to one of the broken wires. It molded with its twin, the melted plastic and heated thirium slick steaming from the touch. Gavin touched up the internal wiring and circuitry of the AP700’s head, then closed its panel and gave one last scan. The bullet hole was off-center from the AP700’s forehead, helpful for reactivation, concerning for the cause of its death. Gavin couldn’t recall those memories, emptiness meeting him if he tried to search past the GV200 running after the AP700 at Zach Williams’ house.

With a sigh, Gavin hefted the AP700 back up onto the wall, then powered it on.

It _shrieked,_ high-pitched and loud, the glass around them vibrating and trembling in place. Gavin bit back a cry, his hands clawing into the AP700’s throat, pulling at wires and surrounding plastic, desperate to locate its vocal unit.

Gavin ripped out a chip deep in the AP700’s throat, then collapsed onto his knees at the resulting silence, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. Thirium coated his hands, dark blue.

A wave of déjà vu settled heavy over his shoulders. He couldn’t place why.

“What the  _fuck_ are you doing?” A voice—not Niles’, but similar. Almost too much so. Connor.

Two sets of footsteps approached him, but when Gavin turned to face them, the lieutenant and his HK800 retreated a few steps back. Gavin had to chuckle.

“Getting information, Lieutenant,” Gavin rasped as he forced himself to his feet, swaying somewhat. He dropped the AP700’s vocal unit on the floor with a soft clatter. “But the AP700 appears to have set itself to damage any android around it with sound humans can’t hear when powered on.” He motioned to the chip. “I took care of it.”

The HK800 frowned, but glanced to the lieutenant with a small nod. “It’s what I heard. He’s telling the truth.”

_Software instability ^_

Gavin grit his teeth, his hands clenched into fists. “Oh, you thought I lied? I’m not gonna go around fucking up evidence just because I can!”

“You’re unstable,” the HK800 said, stepping in front of the lieutenant, using its large body almost like a shield. A shield from what, what could Gavin do? “I wouldn’t put it past you to lie.”

_Software instability ⇧_

Gavin stomped up to the HK800 and gripped its jacket collar, his jaw straining with the force of his grit teeth. “Listen here, prick—“

_WARNING - Diagnostic Test 0001. . .75% Complete__

The HK800 tore Gavin’s hands from its jacket and shoved him back. It scowled at him, icy blue eyes almost glowing in the low light, its LED blinking yellow. “It would be in your best interest if you didn’t do that again.”

“Bitch.” Gavin wiped his hands on his pants, panting to cool his overheating internal wiring. “I didn’t do anything other than tear out its damn vocal unit. It won’t talk, so have a meatbag fix it. Androids can’t get close.”

He headed toward the stairs and shoved himself past the HK800, catching the lieutenant’s gaze as he passed. Lieutenant Dechart watched him go with a deep frown, suspicion and concern laced throughout his expression.

Good. He should just try to get in Gavin’s way, see how bad that ends up for him. Even if he had a damn guard dog backing him up.

_WARNING - Diagnostic Test 0001. . .100% Complete__

_Result: Cease aggressive behavior or return to CyberLife for a hard reset._

Gavin curled his hands into fists and stalked back to his desk without another word. When he dropped Niles’ badge on his desk, he took a moment to stand in silence, his brow furrowed deep, his frown unable to lift into something more neutral. Gavin’s thirium pump beat too hard within his chest cavity, his thirium rushing to his biocomponents, each hot and boiling within his chassis.

And, like a timer counting down milliseconds, Gavin’s LED spun, frantic, cycling around and around, red like human blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gavin? Calling someone other than Sophia or Niles by their name? It's less likely than you think


End file.
